I recently read a book for one of my graduate classes that deeply impacted me and spoke to a topic that me and my friends discuss frequently. Apathy. Particularly, spiritual apathy. This book is called The Scandal of Evangelical Conscience by Ronald J. Sider. Shameless plug, go read it. If you buy it, don’t buy it from Amazon, they don’t pay authors.
This book uses emotion and this isn’t a bad thing. This is how the prophets felt when God’s people turned away from him and were sent into exile. They still claimed that they belonged to God. The American churchgoers still claim they belong to God. Your neighbor who votes for anyone with an “R” next to their name, claims he belongs to God. This book looks at it more deeply. Better yet, the Bible takes a deeper look.
I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!
Revelation 3:15-16, NLT
Claiming that you are a Christian, that you are a member of the Body of Christ, that you are a part of God’s chosen people but not living a life that glorifies the Lord is shameful. We are called to live a life where we sacrifice all we are in order to be transformed to be more like Jesus Christ. If he is your Lord and Savior then you should love him enough to be on fire for him.
God’s people can only weep.
Ronald J. Sider
This is how we should respond to the spiritual apathy in the modern Church. We should be deeply troubled by the state of our supposed brothers and sisters. Elijah was the only professing Christian in all of Israel. He stood alone to redeem Israel to their Creator and Provider.
O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.
1 Kings 18:36-37, NLT
If we serve the Living God. If we serve the Risen Savior. If we serve the Spirit of Power and Life. If we truly believe that this is the God who we serve, then we should be not only willing but eager to stand on top of a mountain and be God’s only chosen servant. Because our God is mightier than anything we will face. The only one who can bring back the apostate Church and all of God’s created people, is God himself. We should be saying powerful prayers like the one that Elijah said on Mount Carmel.
Moments with Emmanuel 